From Booze to Barbells: Exercise May Offset Risks of College Partying

Regular exercise may help counteract some of the health risks associated with heavy drinking in young adults, according to a new study from Florida State University.

The findings, presented this week at the American Physiological Society’s annual conference in Baltimore, suggest that physical activity could offer a protective effect even against the consequences of early-life alcohol consumption.

In a study published in March in Karger, a Switzerland-based medical and scientific research journal, researchers found that mice who consumed large amounts of alcohol but exercised daily lived as long as those that never drank.

In contrast, sedentary mice who drank heavily had significantly shorter lifespans. The findings suggest that consistent physical activity may protect against alcohol-related health decline.

To investigate this theory, researchers divided 37 mice into four groups, assigning them to one of four conditions for six weeks: no alcohol and no exercise, exercise only, alcohol only, or both alcohol and exercise.

After this period, designed to simulate early adulthood, the mice returned to standard care and were monitored throughout their natural lives.

“These findings show that even short periods of heavy drinking, such as during college or early adulthood, can impact health later in life,” Avery Tangen, a co-author of the study, told the American Physiological Society. “They also suggest that aerobic exercise may help protect against some of alcohol’s harmful effects that can shorten lifespan.”

The study adds to a growing body of evidence linking alcohol consumption to long-term damage.

Chronic heavy drinking can harm vital organs such as the liver, heart, and brain; weaken the immune system; and increase the risk of cancer and other serious illnesses, according to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism.

Longevity experts and leading health organizations increasingly recommend reducing or eliminating alcohol consumption as a factor in increasing life expectancy and promoting healthy aging.

Many apps that claim to help slow or reverse biological age will ask if alcohol is consumed and how often.

Given the damaging effects alcohol may have on multiple organ systems, researchers emphasize the importance of strategies that may help protect the body from harm.

“From this work, we would encourage young adults who wish to consume alcohol to couple this behavior with an aerobic exercise training program to attenuate the potential for negative health effects from high doses of alcohol,” Tangen said.

“Aerobic exercise positively affects all organ systems throughout the body, including those negatively impacted by alcohol, such as the brain, liver, and skeletal muscle.”

Edited by Sebastian Sinclair